Phoenix [Arizona] Use of Force Project, June 1994 (ICPSR 6626)

In 1994, the Phoenix Police Department, in conjunction with
Rutgers University and Arizona State University, designed and
implemented a study on the use of force by and against Phoenix police
officers. This study was concerned with describing the amount of force
used in different arrest situations and determining the extent to
which officer, suspect, offense, and arrest situation characteristics
can predict the amount of force used. Data were collected primarily
through a one-page, two-sided survey instrument given to police
officers. In addition, screening interviews regarding the use of force
during the arrest were conducted with both officers and suspects to
assess the reliability of the officer surveys. During the screening
interviews, officers and suspects were asked brief questions about the
use and extent of force by officers and suspects. In the officer
survey form, six potential areas of force were identified: voice,
motion, restraints, tactics, weapons, and injuries. Three dimensions
of weapons use--possession, threatened use, and actual use--were also
recorded. Basic demographic information on officers and suspects,
descriptions of the arrest, and information regarding injuries were
also collected.

In 1994, the Phoenix Police Department, in conjunction with
Rutgers University and Arizona State University, designed and
implemented a study on the use of force by and against Phoenix police
officers. This study was concerned with describing the amount of force
used in different arrest situations and determining the extent to
which officer, suspect, offense, and arrest situation characteristics
can predict the amount of force used. Data were collected primarily
through a one-page, two-sided survey instrument given to police
officers. In addition, screening interviews regarding the use of force
during the arrest were conducted with both officers and suspects to
assess the reliability of the officer surveys. During the screening
interviews, officers and suspects were asked brief questions about the
use and extent of force by officers and suspects. In the officer
survey form, six potential areas of force were identified: voice,
motion, restraints, tactics, weapons, and injuries. Three dimensions
of weapons use--possession, threatened use, and actual use--were also
recorded. Basic demographic information on officers and suspects,
descriptions of the arrest, and information regarding injuries were
also collected.

Access Notes

The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public.
Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

Universe:
Adult arrestees in Phoenix, Arizona, during June 13-27,
1994.

Data Type(s):
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

Most of the variables have missing data. In coding the
surveys, it was not possible for the researchers to distinguish
between "no response" and "a response of no action." For most
items, such as officer tactics, the researchers believe that the
failure to record any action can reasonably be interpreted as meaning
no tactic was used. However, in the data, both are coded as missing.

Methodology

Study Purpose:
In 1994, the Phoenix Police Department, in
conjunction with Rutgers University and Arizona State University,
designed and implemented a study of the use of force by and against
Phoenix police officers. This study was concerned with describing the
amount of force used in different arrest situations and determining
the extent to which officer, suspect, offense, and arrest situation
characteristics can predict the amount of force used. Unlike much of
the prior research, which is concerned with defining excessive force,
the central concern of the principal investigators was to measure the
amount of force used by and against police officers in a sample of
arrests. Thus, a series of variables were constructed that are
sensitive to capturing variation in the full range of force that would
be common in most arrests.

Study Design:
The researchers collected data primarily using a
two-page survey form completed by Phoenix police officers following
most adult custody arrests made during a two-week period beginning
June 13, 1994. and officer and suspect characteristics. The survey was
developed during the fall of 1993, tested during a one-day feasibility
study in February 1994, and subsequently revised for use. In addition,
the researchers constructed a screening survey of officers and a
sample of suspects booked in the Maricopa County Jail to test the
reliability of the survey responses and to obtain additional details
about the nature of the arrest that could not be obtained in the
officer survey form. The results of these screening interviews are
contained in Part 2, Police Screen Interview Data, and Part 3, Suspect
Screen Interview Data. Both the officer surveys and the
officer/suspect interviews were voluntary and anonymous. No officer or
suspect identifiers were collected, and the only information obtained
about the arrests came from the survey forms. These procedures were
implemented to encourage participation and truthful responses and to
protect the anonymity of research subjects. With the data, the
researchers were able to compare the detailed information in the
officer survey with the measures of force and to develop multivariate
statistical models for evaluation.

Sample:
The data collection is a nonrandom sample of adult
arrestees and the arresting police officers in Phoenix,
Arizona. Officer surveys were completed for 1,585 of 1,826 arrests
during June 13-27, 1994. Screening interviews were attempted with all
officers and suspects arrested during 20 randomly chosen three-hour
periods in the second week of data collection. Of the 347 suspects
entering the jail during the 20 three-hour periods, screening
interviews were conducted with 338. Screen interviews were also
obtained from 337 officers.

Data Source:

personal interviews and self-enumerated questionnaires

Description of Variables:
In the survey forms completed by the police
officers, six potential areas of force were identified: voice, motion,
restraints, tactics, weapons, and injuries. Three dimensions of
weapons use--possession, threatened use, and actual use--were also
recorded. Basic demographic information and characteristics of the
officers and suspects were collected, as well as descriptions of
specific behavioral aspects the arrest, how the police were mobilized,
the nature of the offense, where the offense occurred, and information
regarding injuries were also collected. In the screening interviews,
officers and suspects were asked brief questions regarding the use and
extent of force by officers and suspects, including the suspect's
reasons for resisting arrest or not resisting.

Response Rates:
Surveys were obtained from officers in 1,585 of
1,826 adult arrests (87 percent) during the two-week period beginning
June 13, 1994. Of 347 suspects entering the jail during the 20
three-hour periods, screening interviews were obtained from 338 (97
percent). Screen interviews were also obtained from 337 officers (97
percent).

Presence of Common Scales:
None.

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

Standardized missing values.

Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

Version(s)

Original ICPSR Release: 1996-07-13

Version History:

2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 4 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.

2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one
or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well
as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable,
and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to
reflect these additions.

Download Statistics

This website is funded through Inter-agency agreements through the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of
the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its
components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this website (including, without limitation,
its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).